The Exquisite Bali Starling Songbird

The Bali Starling also known as the Rothschild’s Mynah or Bali Mynah, and locally called Jalak Bali is a critically endangered species, endemic on the island of Bali. Today from the wild these very rare birds can be found only in the West Bali National Park and in Noosa Penida. Probably most beautiful of all Mynahs, the Bali Starling is readily recognized by its pristine white layer, framed with black along the ends of the wings and tail and with the striking blue skin around the eyes. A beautiful white crest goes from the crest of his head as the last touch on this superb little bird.

There’s not any significant difference between the female and male of the species. The Bali Starling is a Bali Starling Songbird measuring about 25 centimeters. They breed in the rainy season between the months of Nov and May. Their bluish green eggs are oval shaped, with a mean diameter of about three centimeters. The Bali Starling was found on March 24, 1911 by a British ornithologist named Dr. Stressmann Baron. Dr Baron was traveling on the expedition ship, the Maluku II, which had to make a sudden stop on the island of Bali because of harm to the boat. Stressmann first seen the Starling at Bubunan Village, about 50 kilometers from Singaraja, north Bali.

He classified it as a brand new species, rare and distinct from any other entire specimen. The bird’s Latin name, Leucopsar rothschild, was given by a British animal expert named Walter Rothschild who first published the description of the bird into the world in 1912. Back in 1925, further studies by Dr. Baron Viktor Von Plesen showed The Starling was just found in the region between the Brumbun Gulf along with Kelor Bay in the western part of Bali, which makes those around 320 sq kilometers the only natural habitat of the Bali Starling on the planet. In this time, the number of starlings from the wild have been estimated at between 300-900 birds.

Right after its discovery, the Bali Starling became the object of hunting, poaching and illegal trade. Apart from its own eye catching appearance, the bird’s melodic voice made it increasingly coveted by collectors and bird lovers alike. In addition, its status as rare and endemic monster in addition to its exotic beauty and sing voice put its value at hundreds of millions of rupiah. The rapid deforestation of the bird’s restricted habitat was the final straw which Drove the Starling into the verge of extinction.